1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of an ink-jet recording apparatus permitting a plurality of ink cartridges mounted thereon to be replaced, and more particular to a structure of an ink cartridge holder which holds the plurality of ink cartridges.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In an ink-jet recording apparatus, an ink droplet or ink droplets are selectively ejected from a recording head onto a recording medium, e.g., a recording sheet, based on an image data, so that an image is recorded on the recording medium. In the ink-jet recording apparatus described above, ink is normally pre-stored in a cartridge-type ink tank (hereinafter, abbreviated as “an ink cartridge”), and supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. Generally, depending on a manner of supplying the ink from the ink cartridge to the recording head, types of the ink-jet recording apparatus are roughly classified into following two types: so-called an “ON carriage type” and an “OFF carriage type”.
In the ink-jet recording apparatus classified as the “ON carriage type”, the ink cartridge is directly mounted on a carriage which is equipped with the recording head and which is reciprocatable above the recording sheet, so that the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. In the recording apparatus classified as the “OFF carriage type”, the ink cartridge is disposed on a portion located inside or outside of a body of the ink-jet recording apparatus. In this arrangement, the ink cartridge is connected, via a flexible ink supply tube, to the recording head in full time, so that the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head.
Further, there is another “OFF carriage type” ink-jet recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge is temporarily connected to the recording head via a connecting means provided on a specific position in the ink-jet recording apparatus when the recording head is moved to the above-indicated specific position, so that the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. It is noted that, in order to simplify a description, an “OFF carriage type” ink-jet recording apparatus to be described hereinafter is classified as the above-described “OFF carriage type” in which the cartridge is connected, via the flexible ink supply tube, to the recording head in full time, so that the ink is supplied from the at least one ink cartridge to the recording head.
In the above-described ink-jet recording apparatus classified as the “OFF carriage type”, there is provided an accommodating portion for accommodating the ink cartridge, usually having a case which is provided therein for holding and stabilizing the ink cartridge. The case functions as an ink cartridge holder. The case is connected to the recording head via the ink supply tube, etc. Further, an ink supply needle is provided inside of the case. The ink supply tube and the ink supply needle, etc., cooperatively define an ink supply channel for connecting the ink cartridge to the recording head.
In the state in which the ink cartridge is hold and stabilized by the case, the ink supply needle is inserted into an ink supply portion of the ink cartridge. In this state, the ink cartridge is connected to the ink supply channel, whereby the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head via the ink supply channel. In this arrangement, the ink cartridge and the case are pre-constructed together as a unit which is to be set in the above-described accommodating portion of the ink-jet recording apparatus. The unit is particularly defined as a “refill unit”.
In the ink-jet recording apparatus described above, if the ink stored in the ink cartridge is used up or consumed until a nearly-empty state, the ink cartridge needs to be replaced with a new ink cartridge.
It is troublesome for the operator to replace the ink cartridge. Thus, in order to decrease the frequency of replacing the ink cartridge, it is required for the ink-jet recording apparatus to be configured such that the ink cartridge can be easily replaced.
An example of a large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus which includes a plurality of ink cartridges each having large volume is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications JP-A-2006-15768. In the large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications JP-A-2006-15763, a plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases are set in an accommodating portion provided in a front side of a box-like body of the large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus. Each of the plurality of ink cartridges is accommodated in a corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases. Each of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases has a substantially rectangular shape (rectangular-box shape). Further, each of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases is constituted by an opening through which a corresponding ink cartridge is inserted, an end wall which is substantially parallel to the opening, a pair of side walls each of which intersects the opening and the end wall and each of which faces to each other, a bottom wall and an upper wall.
Each of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases is accommodated in the accommodating portion of the large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus such that the opening thereof opens forwardly from the front side of the box-like body of the large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus. In the above-described arrangement, owing to the pair of side walls of the each of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases, each of the plurality of ink cartridges is accommodated in the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases so as to be separated from another of the plurality of ink cartridges which is accommodated next to the same ink cartridge. Moreover, each of the plurality of ink cartridges is accommodated in the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases such that an ink supply portion of each of the plurality of ink cartridges is attachable to, and detachable from, an attaching portion which is provided on the end wall of the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases. As described above, the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases each of which accommodates the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridges are set in the accommodating portion of the large-sized ink-jet recording apparatus.
Where the plurality of ink cartridge holders or cases each of which can accommodate the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridges are disposed in the front side of the box-like body of the ink-jet recording apparatus, the corresponding one of the plurality of ink cartridges which needs to be replaced is exposed toward the operator because, in general, the ink-jet recording apparatus is disposed such that the front face of the box-like body faces the operator. Therefore, the operator can easily replace the ink cartridge.